Dreams and Deliverance
by CausticRaven
Summary: Minato's final thoughts before Judgment arrives- a reflection of his "true inner self". Someone has to disagree, however. MC/Yukari. UPDATE: 01/30/13- New, secondary chapter up.
1. Before Judgment

He was a monster.

A cold, heartless, sociopathic monster.

If it wasn't clear to him before, it certainly was now.

Minato Arisato stood alone in the bathroom of the second floor of the Iwatodai dorms. It was January 30th 2010, and it was slowly approaching midnight. Tomorrow would be January 31st- their judgment day.

Minato was currently dressed in a black tank top and dark blue jeans. He stared at his face in the mirror, the reflection showing his sadness and panic in his grey eyes.

In his right hand was his Evoker, and his left held the Cipher's Mask. This plain white, featureless mask was given to him as a gift by Igor- as a reward for forming strong, unbreakable bonds to match all of the major Arcana. This mask had allowed his to reforge his initial Persona of Orpheus into a stronger, complete form- Orpheus Telos.

What scared him wasn't how this new Orpheus looked- rather, he was in a complete state with Telos inside of his head.

Instead, it was the mask that he had clutched in his left hand. Was this who he had become? A featureless person who only wanted to benefit himself?

He recalled the times with his Social Links… How he could've said something the _real_ Minato wanted to say, but instead, he said something else that he matched the personality of the person he was talking to.

When he talked to Kaz after first arriving at Gekkoukan and joining the track team, he was genuinely concerned with his injury. However, the only words that came up were that of encouragement- telling him to simply "toughen up" or to "quit whining".

But that's what Kaz wanted to hear- Minato would only oblige. And that was just the one example. He wouldn't have encouraged Kenji with his relationship with the teacher, but he didn't have a choice- it was what Kenji wanted to hear.

The time in which he really felt like himself was only with three links- The Fool, Death and Judgment. The Fool made sense, as he was able to properly bond with the rest of S.E.E.S over time and warm up to everyone on the team as they expanded and defeated the Full Moon shadows. Judgment was also the same, only it was formed from a new determination to reach the top of Tartarus and prevent The Fall. However, this meant that the entire team had to fight Nyx tomorrow night.

He thought of the Death link also, and how it had been with Pharos- a young Ryoji. Ryoji was a part of himself, so he wasn't surprised at all that _that_ link went as it did- he couldn't hide from his true self.

He was scared. But to him, it felt kind of ironic- a monster like him being scared of a bigger monster. He could always just lie down and die before the Nyx fight- he wasn't even sure now that he still had a pulse.

He put the Evoker up to his temple and gave a sad smile. The feeling of the cold steel of the barrel against his temple had become almost therapeutic in a way. It reminded him that there was still something that needed to be done. Minato sighed as he pulled the trigger.

"Orpheus Telos". He spoke in a whisper.

Within a moment after saying that, the sound of glass breaking was heard, causing Minato to be surrounded in a pale blue glow.

Orpheus Telos stood behind the boy in all of his glory. He looked almost identical to the original Orpheus, except his body had turned a royal red, his hair turned a light blond and his eyes had turned a royal blue. All of the dull grey parts to him had become a vibrant gold colour, but his lyre remained the same.

_"Master…"_ Telos spoke. _"What is it that you require?"_ Minato was silent for a few moments.

"To prove I was still alive. You may return." Orpheus gave the boy a hesitant nod and vanished, returning to the sea of the boy's soul. Minato sighed before looking at himself in the mirror again.

"You're the worst kind of monster, you know?" He spoke to his reflection. "You gave these people hope, which they took. You gave them an answer, but they never asked about yours. You gave them a love unconditional, which they ate. And this is the reward you get." He turned to the Cipher's Mask in disgust. "You never wanted to help them at all, and it all became a lie. You just became a mirror for their own problems- they always asked, but never listened." He paused, looking at the reflection straight in the eyes.

"You're a coward. You should've killed Ryoji. But because you didn't, you signed their fate. Nyx will come tomorrow night, and there's no way you can win."

Minato gave a low growl before punching the mirror in front of him. The glass shattered in every direction from the strength of the punch. He smiled as the shards impaled his hand and the appendage began to leak crimson. This pain…

This was what it meant to be alive.

Without thinking, he switched from Orpheus Telos to Messiah. Picking the glass shards out from his hand, he ran a Salvation through his arm. He watched through his magic that the open cuts from the glass slowly began to stitch back together and heal itself. Within a few moments, the arm was completely good as new. As if nothing had ever happened.

"Minato? Are you awake?"

Shit. He didn't count on anyone still being up. It was Yukari that called down for him.

"Minato? I'm coming down…"

He sighed. He dusted some glass away from the sink and placed his elbows on the counter. He cradled his head in his hands and sighed.

"Is everything okay, Minato? I heard the sound of glass breaking…"

She was right outside the door now. He didn't have an option.

He walked out of the bathroom and looked to see her. She looked tired and her hair looked messy. She was dressed in pink track pants and a light blue hoodie- one of his.

"Yukari…" He began, looking at the wall behind her. "I had a nightmare. It was about the fight with Nyx." Yukari stared at him, ready to listen to him. "I dreamt terrible things… I dreamt that Ryoji was right after all; that Nyx couldn't be defeated and The Fall actually happened…"

As he said this, he felt a soft form hit against him. Yukari had wrapped her arms around his body and drawn him in close.

"Minato…" She began. "Do you not remember that one night?" Her face turned a pink hue. "When we… spent some time together?" His face turned a slightly pink hue also, remembering that it was the night that she had confessed her absolute and undying love for him.

"Yes, I remember." He replied to her. And really, how could he forget? After all, he confessed his love for her also. A love that he knew to be a genuine, unconditional affection for this girl.

Ever since he had arrived at Port Island last April and had met this girl, his eyes had been set on her for god knows how long. He was enthralled by her appearance and her ability to fight in Tartarus was second to none- whether it was to conjure up a wind storm, plug an arrow into some unfortunate shadow's face or to heal any wounds he or his team had sustained, she had become a vital member to his efforts to eradicate this accursed hour from the world.

However, if all went well tomorrow, they could see the end of it all.

"Do you want to know something?" She asked him, snapping out of his own thoughts. "I've had some dreams too, ever since that night. I dream of our future together- after college, after all this…" She took the hand that was just recently filled with glass and touched it to hers, the fingers intertwining. "You're not a monster, Minato. It's only in your heart to care too much and try too hard." His dark eyes widened as she said this- how had she heard him?

…Then again, he wasn't talking in a complete whisper.

"Yukari…" His voice was soft and delicate to her ears. "I'm scared to lose you… To lose everyone, and all that we've accomplished." Yukari smirked at him, and clenched his hand tighter.

"Minato…" Whenever she said his name, it seemed to roll off her tongue. "It'll be okay. We'll always have each other." She then drew him in close and kissed him.

The kiss was soft and genuine, with passion in every move. Her arms had wrapped protectively around his waist- offering her support and subtly bringing him close to her. Fingers tugged lightly at each other's hair as the kiss began to intensify.

When they broke, she gave him a tender, loving smile.

"Are you going to go back to your room now?" She asked, as the telltale signs of the Dark Hour hit. He nodded, which caused her to take one of his cold, calloused hands in one of her own smooth, warm and soft ones. "Leave the door open and unlocked." She whispered to him. "Tonight, we'll give that fire of yours one more light."


	2. Graduation Day

_3 months Later…_

It had seemed to be a miracle.

On the night of January 31st… The entire world was _this_ short of destruction. Nyx herself had descended from the sky and was ready to bring about The Fall of all humanity.

However, she had been stopped. Minato led the group of Persona users into their ultimate battle upon the top of that twisted tower known as Tartarus. After a well-fought battle, they had won, but The Fall would already commence. They had been too late. It had seemed all had been lost.

Minato wasn't having that. He rose up and entered conflict with Nyx herself. Once he received the support of all of those who he had bonded with in order to form The Universe, he had issued his final wish- to become the Great Seal and prevent Nyx from ever surfacing in this world.

Time had passed. After that fateful night, nobody remembered anything of what had happened in the Dark Hour. For more than a month, all of S.E.E.S, who had become the best friends and established true, unbreakable bonds, acted like mere acquaintances to one another.

And it hurt him. It hurt to see the people who he had cared for all this time for, treat him like they had rarely ever spoken before.

What hurt the most, however, was when Yukari forgot about it all. Their relationship still existed, but it lacked some of the passion and love that Minato knew she was capable of- but only in the Dark Hour. And she certainly didn't remember that one night before the coming of Nyx that they spent together.

That night…

It seemed as if that night had been the catalyst for him. When he awoke after that night, with Yukari at his side, he had the wondrous feeling of relief and happiness from within him. The morale had been restored to him, and he was absolutely ready to fight on that day.

That feeling had left once the fight had ended and the Dark Hour became a simple memory… at least to him. Nobody else remembered, and the passion experienced had dwindled a bit.

Minato now stood alone, looking out through the window of his dorm room. It was March 5th- Senior Graduation Day.

His headphones rested on his ears, softly playing a song called "Heartful Cry."

He sighed to himself as he felt his heart palpitate within his chest. He had become very tired ever since March rolled around, and it took almost all of his strength to get up this morning. His will was slowly ebbing away from him, as he had almost collapsed about three times getting ready for today.

School was starting soon, but he was too tired to go. He couldn't bring himself to care. After all, today was only the Senior Graduation ceremony... and the day that he was supposed to meet up with everyone on the roof, providing that they would remember.

He then heard a knock on the door to his room. He turned to shoot a death glare at the door. Whoever it could've been was going to remind him that school was about to start and that he should be ready to leave for school now to get on the next monorail.

"Yes?" He asked; preparing to turn up the volume on his music should he need to.

"Hey, it's Yukari." The voice on the other end replied. "Can I come in?" Minato sighed. He grabbed the bag from the computer desk and threw it carelessly over his shoulder. He doubted the possibility of the girl remembering anything. He opened the door to see his girlfriend, dressed in her standard pink-stripped cardigan and her short black skirt.

"Is something the matter?" He asked her. "Shouldn't you be already at school for Archery? Her expression darkened.

"I… I skipped today." The girl began to falter on her words. "There… There's a reason why I'm still here, waiting for you. Minato… I remember everything. All the nights in the Dark Hour, the Shadows, Tartarus…"

His stoic expression cracked. Someone, _someone, _**SOMEONE** had finally remembered! A wide, yet broken smile appeared on his face as Minato hugged the girl close to his chest. He then looked harder at her- Isis had resurged from the dormant nature she had been in for the past month and a half.

"Yukari…" He whispered into her ear, as soft as he could. "I can't believe it… Someone finally remembered." Minato sniffled, and then began to cry into the girl's shoulder. "For all this time, I thought it was all for nothing… That nobody really remembered at all."

The teenage girl took a hand to the boy's grey, lifeless eyes and wiped away the tears that formed.

"Minato… Please, don't cry!" Before she knew it, the two of them were crying together in the doorway to his room. "I got so scared… When I saw you leave us on that night… I didn't want to lose you!"

And for what seemed like an eternity, the couple embraced together. The two stood together in the dorm, arms wrapped around each other in a protective manner, lips meeting in a fury of forlong passion and tenderness that Minato had never seen before.

"Minato…" She whispered. "I even remember… that one night." As she said this, a faint blush appeared on his face.

"God, Yukari…" He hesitated, before seeing the clock on the wall. "We should get to school, and wait on the roof if everyone else remembers…" Yukari nodded and left the embrace the two had created.

However, as she did, she noticed Minato stumble for a minute before struggle to catch his breath.

"Minato!" She exclaimed. "Are you okay?" He sighed to himself.

"Just a little tired is all. Come on, we need to go meet up with everyone else."

The two of them then left the dorm and were bound on the next monorail that would lead them to Gekkoukan High School. Since the ceremony had already started, they didn't have the option to just walk in without being noticed, so they decided to skip the ceremony altogether and went straight for the roof of the school.

On the monorail ride over, Yukari had noticed something different about Minato. He looked very tired, and his face was devoid of almost all colour, instead becoming a dull pale. She thought that he may be coming down with something again, like he did after the typhoon hit last summer that had him bedridden for three days.

This however, was different. She had noticed it ever since February. What was happening to him?

When they arrived at the roof, Yukari sat down on one of the benches available. Minato and her had come up here every now and then- sometimes to hang out after school, or sometimes at lunch, or sometimes to just look at the view that the roof gave of the entire city. The roof meant something to the both of them, and she felt wondrous to be up here with him, again.

She turned to look at him, noticing his weak smile and tired expression.

"Are you tired?" She asked. "You can rest here, you know." She gestured to her lap, and he walked over to lie down on the bench, placing his head on her lap. She smiled downwardly at the boy, two fingers loosely tangling themselves into his unnatural blue locks.

"Yukari…" He began, his voice nothing more than a mere whisper. "I'm glad…" His thought was interrupted by a loud cough that resonated into his chest. "I'm glad that I met you. That I got to know you. That I could love you…"

The brunette girl smiled at her boyfriend. Leaning down, she placed a soft, butterfly kiss onto his cheek.

"I know… Minato. And I feel the same way. Ever since you had arrived at the dorm, I had felt this connection. And after you awoke to Orpheus, I knew that I had wanted something much more. But after that night… I knew that I wanted to be by your side, forever and always." The two of them paused and then looked at the door to the roof.

They heard voices from the other side. The voices of their old friends… of S.E.E.S. They were faint, but they could hear them. They were coming for them- to share in their achievement together.

"Everyone's remembered…" Minato smiled. "Everyone remembered their promise…" The bluenette then gave a yawn and sighed.

"You can rest now." She spoke softly. "Everyone will be here soon. Close your eyes…" The boy did as he was told as the biggest smile she had seen for a long time appeared on his face.

"I'll love you forever, Yukari."

"I'll love you forever too, Minato."

And then, the door had opened.

His eyes had closed. His pulse had stopped cold.

Yukari, unable to contain it anymore, wept. She tried her best; she didn't have her evoker, but she shoved Mediarahan after Mediarahan and Samarecarm after Samarecarm into the boy's body, but nothing would work.

Minato Arisato, the one true love of her life, had died.

And she had been powerless to stop it.


End file.
